2023 -- H 6158
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LC002498
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S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
CELEBRATING ST. PATRICK’S DAY AND THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GOOD
FRIDAY AGREEMENT
Introduced By: Representatives Kennedy, Craven, McNamara, Casey, Edwards,
Shekarchi, Blazejewski, McEntee, O'Brien, and Chippendale
Date Introduced: March 16, 2023
Referred To: House read and passed
WHEREAS, On March 17th, during the annual celebration of the Feast of Saint Patrick, 1
the Patron Saint of Ireland, Irish Americans join with people of all ethnic origins who, for one 2
day, are considered honorary citizens of Ireland as they celebrate Saint Patrick and a love of all 3
things Irish; and 4
WHEREAS, Wielding the devotion of his faith like a great sword of righteousness, and 5
using the strength of his intellect and the power of his passions, Saint Patrick assimilated the 6
ancient pagan Irish myths into a Christian message, and in so doing, converted all of Ireland to 7
Christianity during his lifetime; and 8
WHEREAS, Irish immigrants to Rhode Island helped to form the cultural foundation of 9
our State, and Rhode Islanders of Irish lineage today proudly sing of their roots in Ballinamore 10
and Ballinasloe, in Ennistymon and Enniscorthy, in Cahirciveen and Castlebarr, and in 11
Skibbereen and Skerries; and 12
WHEREAS, The songs of Ireland are the tragic songs of love and the joyous songs of 13
battle: the nostalgic reveries of the sorrows and the glories that are the Emerald Isle; and the 14
lamentations of life's myriad travails and the odes to joy and the life eternal; and 15
WHEREAS, The year 2023 marks the 25th Anniversary of The Good Friday Agreement 16
that largely ended the "Troubles,” three decades of violence that had racked Northern Ireland 17
since the late 1960s. It was signed on April 10, 1998, which fell that year on Good Friday in the 18
Christian Easter holiday; and 19
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WHEREAS, There are people alive in the Republic of Ireland today because of the 1
continuous bipartisan encouragement of the major political parties in the United States. The Good 2
Friday Agreement has had the support for 25 years of State Legislators from the fifty states, 3
successive United States Presidents, the United States Senate, United States House of 4
Representatives, and elected officials working in partnership with the Government of Ireland and 5
the Government of the United Kingdom; and 6
WHEREAS, We honor the Good Friday Agreement also known as the Belfast Agreement 7
in 2023, the 25th anniversary of its ratification, as the framework for lasting peace in Northern 8
Ireland. The Agreement demonstrated a democratic and peaceful means of resolving differences 9
that recognize the British and Irish Governments ongoing support and implementation of the 10
Good Friday Agreement that has become the irrevocable foundation of the peace process; and 11
WHEREAS, The year 2023 also marks the 175th anniversary of the first flying of the tri-12
color Irish flag in County Waterford by Thomas Francis Meagher with the green representing 13
Irish nationalism; the orange, Ireland’s Protestant minority, and the Orange Order; and the white, 14
for lasting peace between the two. Meagher embodied the links between Ireland and the United 15
States of America first as a member of the Young Irelander Rebellion and later becoming a 16
Brigadier General in the 69th Regiment of the famous ‘Fighting Irish Brigade’ in America, where 17
he fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War including Fredericksburg 18
and Antietam; now, therefore be it 19
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby 20
commemorates the celebration of the Feast of Saint Patrick, the national Apostle of Ireland and 21
celebrates the flag of Ireland as a symbol of the link between the United States and Ireland in its 22
representation of peace; and be it further 23
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 24
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the United States Senators and Members of the 25
House of Representatives from Rhode Island to enlighten them concerning the bipartisan 26
resolution in Congress regarding Ireland, the Good Friday Peace Agreement, and the Irish Peace 27
Process; and be it further 28
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 29
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Chair of the American Irish State 30
Legislators Caucus, the Honorable Senator Mark Daly the 24th Chair of the Senate of Ireland, 31
and to the National co-chairs of the American Irish State Legislators Caucus, including 32
Assemblywoman Carol Murphy, New Jersey; Assemblyman Robin Vos, Wisconsin; Senator 33
Shannon O’Brien, Montana; Representative Brian Patrick Kennedy, Rhode Island; Assemblyman 34
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James Gallagher, California; Representative Fran Hurley, Illinois; and Representative Killian 1
Timoney, Kentucky. 2
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LC002498
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